Machine for cutting moving web into particles



Jan. 8, 1957 'M. J. F. BAs 2,776,711

MACHINE FOR CUTTING MOVING WEB mo PARTICLES Filed Feb. 1, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MAR/E JOSFPH' FRANCO/S 5A 6 Jan. 8, 1957 M. J. F. BAs 2,776,711

MACHINE FOR CUTTING MOVING WEB INTO PARTICLES I Filed Feb. 1, 954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ummn mllmu MAR/E (7065/ 1? FRANCO/6 5/4 5 final cutting knives;

MACHINE FOR CUTTING MOVING WEB INTO PARTICLES Marie Joseph Francois Bas, Paris, France, assignor to J. F. Bas & Co., Paris, France Application February 1, 1954, Serial No. 407,416 Claims priority, application France November 6, 1953 7 Claims. Cl. 164-61) sure moulding articles therefrom.

It is desirable that the particles obtained shall be of uniform size and shape as otherwise smaller grains in the mass being heated could be burned before larger grains became sufficiently heated and softened.

Many different machines are already known for the continuous comminution of materials at high speed to obtain particles of regular, e. g. cubical, form. However such machines have the disadvantage of being exposed to repeated shocks due to the action of the rotating knives as they repeatedly strike the material to be cut. The result is a loss of motive power, appreciable noise and vibration, and premature wear of the cutting edges. Moreover, the cutting action is accompanied by the production of more or less appreciable quantities of Waste and dust, which become lodged between the preliminary co-acting cutter discs of the machine and the guides for the work material, in such manner as to foul the interior of these elements. Consequently, frequent stoppages for cleaning the machines are necessary.

The present invention provides improvements which enable these inconveniences to' be avoided, ensure an appreciable saving in motive power, result in the machine running more smoothly and quietly, and facilitate the operation and maintenance.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description aided by the accompanying drawings which show some embodiments thereof by way of example. V

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of one form of machine in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the arrangement of the Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modified arrangemen f these knives; "I i Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a slightly modified form of the machine in a plane at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a plan corresponding to Fig. 4 partly in sec tion along the line V-V of that figure; and

Figs. 6 and 7 show on a larger scale details of the clearing and cleaning element for removing waste and dust.

Reference 1 denotes a flexible strip of plastic material to be comminuted, 2 and 3 horizontal feed rollers at the entry of the machine, 4 a feed table for the said strip, and 5 two side guides adjustable on fixed spindles '7 and 8. Set screws 9 and 10 are provided for fixing these guides. 11 and 12 denote two horizontal guides spaced from each other and between which the strip 1 is passed from the feed table to co-acting upper and lower cutter discs 13 and 14 having serrated sharp edges for slitting the strip *nited States Patent 0 Patented Jan. 8, 1957 2 1 longitudinally into a plurality of ribbons. The guides '11 and 12 extend both forwardly and rearwardly of the cutter discs 13 and 14 and are spaced from each other for a distance substantially equal to the depth of cut of the cutter discs 13 and 14. The guides 11 and 12 are laterally apertured and the cutter discs 13 and 14 project through the laterally apertured portion and overlap with each other providing the comminuting action on the plastic strip-fed between the cutter discs. 15 are knives fixed in any required number on a rotatable shaft 16 which also carries the machine driving pulley which is coupled to suitable operating means. 17 is a fixed counter-blade working in conjunction with the knives 15, the counter-blade 17 being mounted on guide 12. A vertical clearing blade 18 (Figs. 6 and 7) is carried on a bracket 19 associated with a tubular element 20 and perforated with holes 21, the bracket 19 being mounted on guide 11. Ball bearings 22 (Fig. 4) for the journals of the cutter discs 13 are carried in adjustable upper bearing blocks 23 (Figs. 1, 4, 5) sliding between vertical guides 24 and controlled by set screws 25 held in threaded collars 26 and secured by locking screws 27. Graduated scales 28 allow the screws 25 to be accurately adjusted by means of hand-wheels 29. The ends of the screws 25 abut against the corresponding bearing blocks, either by means of a locking ring end nut 30 (Fig. 1), or by means of a bearing ball 31 (Fig. 4). 32 are fixing screws for the collars 26. Collars 26 are integral parts of inwardly extending brackets that are supported by the frame 33 and directed inwardly toward each other and form the suspension means for the pendently disposed blocks 23 in which the opposite ends of the shaft which carries the upper set of discs 13 are journaled. These brackets also provide themounting means for the shafts connected with the handwheels 29 and the associated graduated scales 28.

In operation the strip of plastic material 1 passes between the feed rollers 2 and 3 and thence on to the feed table 4 between the two guides 5, slidably adjustable on the rods 7 and 8 fixed on the said table. These guides 5 are locked in the required position apart by the screws 9 and 10.

The strip 1 is thus fed between the fixed horizontal upper and lower guides 11 and 12 and passes to the multiple circular cutters or discs 13 and 14. The lower guide 12 is supported at one end by a step 4a formed in table 4 and extends substantially coplanar with the surface of table 4. The set of discs 13, working between the set of discs 14, causes the strip 1 to be slit into a bundle of longitudinal ribbons.

Upon leaving the guides 11 and 12, these ribbons are cut in to nearly cubical grains by means of the knives 15 carried on the rotating shaft 16, and acting against the counter-blade 17, the speed of rotation of shaft 16 being adjusted to correspond to that of the serrated cutter discs 13 and 14. Thus it will be seen that the lower guide 12 serves as a support for counter-blade 17 while upper guide 11 serves as a support for the vertical clearing blade 18.

It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the vertical plane A passing through the axis of the cutters 13, is slightly displaced to the left with reference to the plane B passing through the axis of the cutters 14. This arrangement is for the purpose of directing downwards the bundle of longitudinal ribbons, in order to ensure that they will be effectively pressed against the counter-blade 17 when coming into contact with the knives 15.

In accordance with Fig. 2 the knives 15 are set slightly askew in order to cut the longitudinal ribbons successively instead of simultaneously, and thus afford smoother working, absence of shocks or jerks, and cleaner cuts.

The hollow bracket 19 onwhich this blade is'fitted'has its tubular element- 20connected by rubber tubingv to a source of'compressed air, hot or'cold. This air is ejected through the orifices 21, which-may be either roundholesor horizontal slits, andis principally intended to heat or to cool',.according to thematerial being processed, the

circumferences of the cutter discs 13 and 14 as well asthe material itself during the cutting operation.

Finally, the invention provides the possibility of removing from the machine integrally, the assembly of the upper discs 13,- their carrying shaft, the corresponding ball bearings 22 and bearing blocks 23, the two set screws 25,. and the two operating hand-wheels'29. The bearing,- roller-auxiliary supports assembly can'be' removed from the machine frame without dismantling any of the elements and without disturbing the setting of the graduated scale 28. This permits both the cleaning of the complete assembly of cutter discs and guides, and inspection and adjustment or replacement of these elements. It willbe seen-that inorder to remove the assembly it is sutficient to remove the screws 32. whereupon the assembly can be lifted out as a unit.

I claim:

1'. In amachine for comminuting plastic strip material, the combination of a frame, upper and lower coacting cutter discs rotatably mounted in said frame, a pair of horizontally extending guides projecting both forwardly andrearwardly of the co-actingportions of said cutterdiscs and spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the depth of cut of said co-acting cutter discs and effective to cut strip material passed therebetween intoribbons, a shaft rotatably mounted insaid frame adjacent the rear of said cutter discs, knives carried by said shaft, a stationary counter-blade supported by the rearward edge of one of said guides, saidknives and counter-blade being effective to sub-divide said ribbons into particles of regular form, said knives beinghorizontally inclined to said cutter discs to cause said knivesto co-act with said counter-blade and act on' said ribbons successively graduated scale means associated with said frame and means for adjusting said upper cutter discs with respect to saidlower cutter discs and with reference to said graduated scale means, said upper discs and shaft constituting an assembly which is removable from said frame while maintaining; said graduated scale means and said adjusting means in the adjusted position thereof.

2. In a machine for comminuting plastic strip material, the combination of aframe, a pair of sp'aced'horizontally extending guides having a lateral aperture therein, upper and lower co-acting cutter discs rotatably' mounted in said frame and projecting through the lateral aperture in said guides and effective to cut plastic stri'p material passed between said guides and through said cutter discs into ribbons, a shaft rotatably mounted in said frame in the rear of said cutter discs, knives carried by said shaft, a stationary counter-blade, saidknives and counter-blade being effective to sub-divide said rib-- bons into particles of regular form, and said knives being set askew to cause said knives to co-act with said counterblade and act on said ribbons successively graduated scale means associated with said frame and means for ad justing said upper cutter discs with respect to said lower cutter discs and with reference'to said graduated scale bly which is removable from said frame while maintain 4 ing said graduated scale means and said adjusting means in the adjusted position thereof.

3. In a granulating or comminuting machine for plastic material, a frame, an upper and lower guide plate supported by said frame and having a laterally disposed aperture therein, an upper and lower set of co-acting cutter discs projecting through the laterally disposed aperture in said guides, each set of said discs being carried by a shaft journalled for rotation with respect to said frame, a blade set carried by said upper guide plate adjacent the upper set of cutter'discs effective to clear and remove waste and dust and means extending through said blade set' for blowing air against said cutter discs adjacent thecoacting portions thereof graduated scale means associated with said frame and means for adjusting said upper cutter discs with respect to said lower cutter discs and with reference to said graduated scale means, said upperdi'scs and shaft constituting an assembly which is removablefrom said frame while maintaining said graduated scale means and'saidadjusting means in the adjusted position thereof.

4-. In a granulating or comminuting machine for plas tic material, a frame, an'upper and lower set of co-acting cutter discs, each set of said discs being carried by a shaft journalled for rotation with respect to said frame, a stationary feed table in advance of said cutter discs, a pair of rollers at the front of said table for feeding plastic strip material to said discs and reducing retardation of the feed of the plastic strip material by friction against the surface of said table, upper and lower guide plates spaced from eachother and extending forwardly and rearwardly of saidcutter discs, said lower guide plate being substantially coplanar with the surface of said table graduated scale means associated with said frame and 'means for adjusting. said upper cutter discs with respect to said lower cutter discs and with reference to said graduated scale'means, said upper discs and shaft constituting an assembly which is removable from said frame while maintaining.- said graduated scale means and said adjusting-'means in the adjusted position thereof.

5. In a machine for comminuting plastic strip material, a frame, upper and lower shaft members, cutter discs mounted on said shaft members, means for journalling said lower shaft member in said frame with said frame extending above-said means, a pair of brackets mounted on sa-idframe and directed toward each other and extending over said shaft members, bearing blocks for mounting opposite ends of said upper shaft member, adjustable screws extending. through said brackets and engaging said bearing. blocks, means secured to said frame for guiding said bearing. blocks for movement in .a vertical direction, guide plates supported with respect to said frame and extending intermediate said shaft members with said cutter discs projecting therethrough, whereby plastic strip material fed between said guide plates may be cut into ribbons by said cutter discs graduated scale means associatedwith said frame and means for adjusted said upper cutter discs with respect to said lower cutter discs and with reference tosaid-graduatedscale means, said upper discs and shaft constituting an assembly which is removable from said frame while maintaining said graduated scale means and said adjusting'means-in the adjusted position thereof.

6. A machine for comminuting plastic strip material as set forth in claim 5 in which one of said guide plates forms a mountingmea-ns for an elongated hollow member which includes a vertical shearing blade directed inwardly between the cutterdiscs associated with said upper shaft member and wherein said boll-ow member also includes a multiplicity of downwardly directed apertures for conveying air under pressure from said hollow member to the juncture position ofjth'e cutter discs carried by said upper and l-owershaft members.

7. In a machine for comminuting-plastic strip material asset forth in claim 5, a hollow blade carried by-one of said guide plates, said hollow blade including an intake compression for compressed air and a multiplioity of discharge pocket-s directed downwardly toward .the juncture of said cutter discs, said hollow bla'dc also including a set of upwardly and inwardly directed comb-like projections extending between the cutter discs on said upper shaft for removing accumulated material between the said cutter discs for gravitation to 'a position in the vicinity of said discharge pockets whereby the said material is forced under pressure intermediate the cutter discs on said upper and lower shaft members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 35,592 Dougher-ty June 17, 1 862 6 Skidmore Aug. 1d, 1868 Estabrook June 26, 1883 Stewart Aug. 19, 1884 West Oct. 20, 189 1 Rousay et :al. Aug. 8, 1899 Frazer Oct. 28, 1902 White Nov. 1 1, 1924 Bevis Aug. 20, 1929 bade Sept. 20, 11932 Urschet et a1. July 15, 1952 Batten sby Oct. 14, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 4, 1960 

